Currituck-class seaplane tender

USS Salisbury Sound at San Diego Bay, ca. 1957
Class overview
NameCurrituck class
Builders
Operators United States Navy
Built1942–1944
In commission1943–1987
Planned4
Completed4
Retired4
General characteristics as built
TypeSeaplane tender
Displacement15,092 long tons (15,334 t) (full load)
Length540 ft 5 in (164.72 m) oa
Beam69 ft 3 in (21.11 m)
Draft22 ft 3 in (6.78 m)
Propulsion
  • Steam turbines
  • 4 × boilers
  • 2 × shafts
  • 12,000 shp (8,900 kW)
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement1,247
Armament
Aviation facilitiesHangar and catapult

The Currituck-class seaplane tenders were four ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. The role of a seaplane tender was to provide base facilities for squadrons of seaplanes in a similar way that an aircraft carrier does for its squadrons. While three members of the class were removed from active service in the 1960s, Norton Sound was modified to serve as a testbed for advanced radar and combat management systems, such as the Aegis Combat System.